Kizuna
by saihatsu
Summary: [Alternate Universe] What happens when a member of one of the most feared underground assassin groups has to hold someone captive for an undetermined length of time? Lots of things – maybe even love? [KonoSetsu]
1. Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

**Kizuna  
**_Saihatsu_

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__Disclaimer: I don't own Negima. If I did, there would be more KonoSetsu moments :D_

**Summary: **Alternate Universe. What happens when a member of one of the most feared underground assassin groups has to hold someone captive for an undetermined length of time? Lots of things – maybe even love? A KonoSetsu fic.

**Notes: **This fic contains elements of shoujo-ai. If you don't like it, it would be better not to continue reading.

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**Chapter One:** **Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust.  
_And so we meet again…_**

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"_Hello! My name is Konoka. What about you?"_

"_S-Setsuna, Sakurazaki Setsuna."_

"_Ne, Secchan, will you be my friend?"_

_-------------------------------_

"Setsuna!"

Steel tore into flesh. Stunned, Sakurazaki Setsuna could do nothing but stare even as the blade was pulled out and even as the body of her master fell on top of her.

And then there was darkness.

_-------------------------------_

Setsuna met with darkness as she opened her eyes. Shocked, she rose quickly, her mind only registering that she had been lying underneath a dead body after she smelled the stench of blood. Around her, the last embers of a huge fire flickered lighting up dead bodies and pools of blood. Turning around slowly, she looked over at the body that had been on top of her earlier. A spark of recognition ran though her brain and then the memories came flooding back.

For the first time ever, the Konoe family's guards had been forced to retreat to the very center of the Konoe compound. Even those of the Shinmeiryuu, who were undeniably one of the strongest sword wielders in all of Japan, had been defeated by the hands of a group of only twenty people.

Shakily, the eight-year-old Setsuna stood up and took a step, but faltered as the stench of drying blood and heavy smoke assaulted her senses. As she struggled to get up again, a figure emerged from the blanket of smoke heading straight towards her, but even as she was reaching for the nearest sword she could find, her vision began to blur, her legs began to give way, and her body began a quick descent to the floor.

The young man walked brusquely towards the young girl and chuckled. Swiftly, he carried her and walked away to where the other nineteen members of his little group were waiting.

A few hundred kilometers away, Konoe Eishun shuddered while he held a young girl protectively to his chest. His father-in-law was sitting next to him, eyebrows knitted deeply in thought.

"They weren't going to kill us."

Eishun turned, shocked by the comment that had broken the silence.

An image appeared of the eyes that stared him down when he had covered Konoka with his body to prevent her from being cut in half. They were eyes of a man who had killed before, but for a moment, he thought that he had seen regret reflected within their depths.

He remembered the blade descending faster than he thought possible before it abruptly stopped mere millimeters from his neck. A hand had grabbed the attacker's arm, and words were whispered into his ears.

It was silent for a short moment, and then the assailant had laughed, the almost inaudible sound echoing in the recesses of Eishun's mind, before suddenly turning around and walking away mumbling, _"See you in nine more years."_

"They were going to, but they changed their minds. They let us live. Why?"

Slowly, they turned to the sleeping Konoka and realized that the bright future they had planned for her would now be tainted by the inevitable presence of fear.

_-------------------------------_

Being able to study at Mahora Academy was perhaps a dream of almost every teenage girl. The campus itself was astoundingly beautiful. The architecture followed a classic plan, but was built so that it could be easily maintained to look new, and the garden behind the school could have been said to be a gift from Mother Nature herself.

Following the incident nine years ago, Konoe Konoemon immediately started drafting a plan for a school while his son-in-law commenced work on rebuilding their home. Three years later, the school was successfully completed and Konoemon took on a role as the headmaster. As expected, the school flourished with applications coming in from all over Japan.

And it was there that Konoka studied.

Smiling, Konoka walked to school with her close friend Kagurazaka Asuna and Negi Springfield, the young twelve-year-old teacher who was staying with them. The school year was coming to an end with only one week left before the holidays began… which meant that they had exams.

As Negi made his way to the front of the room, he noticed the sullen faces of his students and couldn't help but smile in affection.

"Okay everyone, please be seated. We're going to start our exams today with mathematics!"

A collective groan rose from his students as he handed out the exam papers. Before they could start, however, the headmaster's voice boomed over the intercom.

The school was being attacked.

Tatsumiya Mana smirked as another one of her bullets pierced through the skull of an unsuspecting guard. This mission was much easier than she expected it to be. _One of the top schools in the country must have better security than this._ Sighing, she nodded towards the gap that had emerged when the guards fell and her partner immediately dashed through, her body a blur, even as more guards came.

_Sakurazaki better get this over with fast._ With the speed of a trained gunman, she swiftly reloaded her guns and let bullets rain upon the guards once more.

Setsuna picked at the hem of her shirt. With Mana causing a ruckus outside, there were less people she had to avoid inside the school. As she ran up to the third floor, she took out the black envelope from her shirt pocket, looked at the photo inside and quickly burned it before hiding herself in the shadows in front of the stairwell. Sticking her head around the corner, she scanned the faces of the panicked students who were being escorted out of their respective classrooms for the face of her assignment.

By luck, she spotted her among the group of students that were heading her way. She waited for a few moments until her assignment walked past her hiding place, and then she quickly brought a bag, covered it over her captive's face and dashed away before anyone could catch her.

Less than a minute later, the occupants of the school saw smoke rise from outside the window and two figures disappearing in its hazy refuge. By the time the smoke cleared, they were gone, Konoe Konoka along with them.

Takahata Takamichi smiled as the news of the successful kidnapping reached his ears.

_-------------------------------_

Konoka felt herself being thrown against a wall before whatever it was that was covering her face was pulled off harshly along with the tape that was covering her mouth. It took her eyes a while to adjust to the sudden brightness, but when she did, she noticed that the room she was in wasn't a prison cell like she had expected. In fact, it seemed like a room in a well-furnished apartment. After a few seconds, she heard voices coming from behind the door.

"She is _not_ staying here with me."

"Well, there's no way in hell she can stay with me. You know how Kaede gets when I have to share my bed with someone other than her. And furthermo--"

"No one's telling you that you have to share a bed with her."

"…………… And furthermore, she's already here. It would be inconvenient for me to drag her all the way to my apartment, Setsuna-_chan_."

Setsuna stayed silent, which led to Mana deciding that maybe she had to bring out the big guns to win the argument.

"Or, you know, I could inconveniently drag her all the way to my apartment and have a _hot, steamy threesome_ with her and Kaede."

_Three… two… one._

A blush appeared on Setsuna's cheeks as she stuttered out her reply.

"F-fine."

Laughing, Mana made her way towards the exit as she skillfully dodged the book that had been flung her way. The predictability of Setsuna's reaction to suggestive comments had saved her once again.

Setsuna let out a sigh as she saw Mana walk out the door. Slowly, she made her way towards the room her captive was in with a bowl of soup in one hand.

Konoka backed away from the door when she heard footsteps approaching. Hiding herself behind the door, she raised her arms up so that she could hit her captor as soon as the door was opened.

Unexpectedly though, as soon as her swung her arms downward, she found herself pinned to the wall, staring into a very familiar pair of dark eyes.

"… Secchan? Is that you?"

A moment of silence and then:

"I'm sorry. I don't believe we've met before."

_-------------------------------_

"_Ne ne, Secchan… you'll stay here with me, right?"_

"_Of course! Always."_

"_Promise?"_

"_Promise. I'll protect you forever."_

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**  
A/N:** This is my first Negima fic, so I hope the characters weren't too OOC. In case you're wondering, in this alternate universe, Negi doesn't have his mage powers. 

Also, if you read this, please leave a review. It'll be nice to know that there are people reading :D


	2. Back to Square One

**Chapter Two:** **Back To Square One.  
_And so we begin again…_**

Saying that Konoka was shocked would've been an understatement. She was sure that the person in front of her was the same Sakurazaki Setsuna that she had met all those years ago. Her voice was deeper, her demeanor colder, and her eyes harder but all in all, it couldn't have been anyone else.

When Setsuna had said that she couldn't remember her, Konoka had felt hurt and betrayed. For the past nine years, she had been hoping that she would be able to meet her first friend again. Now here she was, her first friend, with no recollection of their past at all. Konoka clenched her fists and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.

In front of her, Setsuna calmly undid the locks to her handcuffs and placed the bowl of soup on the floor.

"Eat," she said simply. Then she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Dismally, Konoka picked up the bowl and began drinking in the broth, relishing in the warmth it brought to her parched throat. And for the first time since she was captured, she allowed herself to cry.

Setsuna made her way over to the black sofa that was situated in the center of the living room and lay down, stretching out the kinks in her muscles. Although Konoka was a relatively light person, bounding down the stairs two at a time and then running a few kilometers while carrying her could make even the strongest man tired. Sighing, Setsuna wondered why she felt as if she should have known the women, and why her eyes had looked so sad when she said she couldn't remember.

And then she stopped, reminding herself that she couldn't allow herself to care.

She sighed again. Living with a captive was going to bring about a whole lot of problems; she was sure of it.

After what seemed like hours, though in reality was only half an hour, Setsuna got up and made her way to the room Konoka was in. She needed a shower, and the only way to do so was to get her bathrobe from her bedroom.

Konoka's back stiffened when she heard the door open. Setsuna raised an eyebrow, but ignored the reaction. It wasn't something that was unexpected after all. Without sparing another glance towards Konoka, she opened her wardrobe and pulled out a light blue bathrobe and flung it over her shoulder. Silently, she went over to Konoka's side and bent down to pick up the empty bowl before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Gasping for air, Konoka let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. As soon as she heard the sound of the bathroom door click, she let her eyes wander around the room for the first time, quickly realizing that she was in what seemed to be Setsuna's bedroom. Before she could stop herself, Konoka found herself looking around the table. To her dismay, it was empty. No pictures, no letters, nothing.

Disappointed, but not dejected, Konoka turned her attention towards the wardrobe. Cautiously, she opened it only to find a row of identical clothing staring back at her.

"You never were one for fashion, were you, Secchan?" she said, as a smile made its way onto her face. It was nice to know that amidst the sea of changes, some things remained the same.

A few moments later, Konoka heard the sound of the shower stop and the bathroom door opening. Eventually, the door to the bedroom swung open and Setsuna found herself staring into Konoka's eyes. For some strange reason, Setsuna felt an inexplicable urge to explain why she was there opening the door to her own bedroom in her own apartment at that very moment. So she did.

"I forgot my clothes."

To Konoka's credit, she only stalled a few seconds before averting her gaze. After all, when a beautiful woman such as the one in front of her forgot to tie the bathrobe tightly, letting her cleavage show, with her damp hair sticking slightly to her neck, it was hard not to stare.

Blushing, Konoka stepped away from the wardrobe and let Setsuna pass. When she reached the wardrobe, Setsuna bent down and pulled out a drawer that Konoka hadn't noticed previously. So naturally, Konoka turned her head to the left to peer at the drawer's contents out of curiosity… and met with the sight of identical pajamas.

Her laugh rang out throughout the room, the melodic sound calming her own nerves. And then she noticed a twitch in Setsuna's eyebrows.

"Sorry," she murmured, "You really don't like dressing up, do you?"

Silence.

"Go sleep."

And then Setsuna was gone. She was alone once again.

Outside, Setsuna slowly settled herself onto the sofa and hoped for a peaceful sleep she knew would never come.

_-------------------------------_

In her nightmares, she would always be fighting an army of her victims, except that in her dreams, they wouldn't stay dead. It always began with her first assignment, an old drug dealer, a rat of society. One slash and he would fall. One second and he would be up again, with more of those who died by her blade behind him.

In her nightmares, she wouldn't be able to fight them off. No matter what she did, they would keep coming at her. No matter how many times she slashed through their bodies, they would rise up again, and the intoxicating smells of blood would fill overwhelm her senses while guilt would flow through her veins.

Shuddering awake, Setsuna acknowledged with regret that it was going to be another sleepless night. She stood up and grabbed her sword that she had placed against the sofa edge while glancing at the clock that was hanging on the other side of the wall.

Two hours of sleep. Two hours of the repetitive nightmare that never failed to haunt her sleep every night.

Stepping out onto the balcony and into the fresh night air, Setsuna began her daily training routine. Each move was executed perfectly, the blade swishing through the air, cutting through invisible enemies. Not an ounce of energy was wasted. Slowly but surely, the images from her nightmare left her mind and she could breathe in the scent of air untainted by the stench of blood once more.

Konoka woke to the sound of a pot clattering against the floor and a muffled curse. Rubbing her eyes, she walked over to the door and opened it to reveal Setsuna with two bowls of _something_ in her hands.

Setsuna moved gracefully as she walked around the table and placed a bowl on the other side. When she made her way back to the other end and sat down, her eyes turned towards Konoka's expectantly.

And Konoka just stood there and stared. And stared some more.

Sighing, Setsuna picked up her chopsticks and said, "Come and eat. Unfortunately, I'm supposed to keep you alive for the next few weeks or so."

Actually, Konoka wasn't the least bit worried about being killed. In reality, because she wasn't such a morning person, she was trying to remember where she was and why in the world Secchan was sitting in front of her. All of sudden, she remembered the events of the previous day as images flashed through her mind.

Groaning, she seated herself at the table and picked up the chopsticks next to bowl, looking forward to a nice, healthy breakfast. That would certainly make her feel all better. And then she saw the bowl of instant noodles in front of her. Groaning once again, she lowered her chopsticks and began to eat.

Setsuna finished her meal long before Konoka did and went ahead to wash her own dishes. As she took the towel from behind the sink to dry her bowl, Konoka made her way over and calmly took the towel out of her hands and started drying.

Stunned, Setsuna reached over to take Konoka's bowl and prepared to wash it when she felt Konoka's hand on her own. A warm tingle spread from the area that had come into contact with Konoka's hand before Setsuna hastily quashed the feeling down.

"I'll do it," Konoka said, smiling.

At the cheerful expression on Konoka's face, another warm tingle spread throughout her body, the sensation taking longer to suppress this time round.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

"Thank you, ojou-sama." Nodding appreciatively, Setsuna walked away, missing the tender glance that had been directed towards her. The bowl had almost slipped out of Konoka's hands when she heard Setsuna call her "ojou-sama" like she used to. Whistling happily to herself, she continued her task of washing the dishes.

_Maybe, _she thought to herself, _a part of Secchan remembers._

Setsuna stared up at the ceiling, listening to the rush of water flowing from the faucet. Eventually, it was replaced by the sound of footsteps coming towards her and stopping just to her right.

"Ne, Seccha-"

"Don't call me Secchan."

The smile on Konoka's face faltered for a mere second before she continued to speak, "What happened to everyone else at the academy?"

Setsuna gave her a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders and pulled out a newspaper from behind her. Handing it towards Konoka, she said, "There's probably something in there about it."

As expected, news of her capture was on the first page. Konoka's eyes scanned through the article, smiling slightly when she read that all her friends were okay, but towards the end of the article, her smile began to fade. Almost two hundred of the hired guards had been killed and from the testimonies of the witnesses, it seemed as if the plan to capture her was executed by a group called _Raikou_, one of the most feared assassination groups in all of Japan. As far as anyone knew, once someone was put on their blacklist, they had a maximum of 24 hours to live. No one ever escaped alive.

"How many people have you killed?" A quiet voice came from beside her.

Setsuna was caught completely off guard. Although it was a simple question, the directness of it startled her. Obviously, Konoka knew of their reputation which meant that that question was entirely justified, expected and reasonable. But still, its direct nature was shocking.

"Too many to count."

"How lon-"

"Five years."

"Do you like what you do?"

Silence.

"I only do what must be done." Setsuna got up turned towards the direction of the balcony signaling that the conversation was over. Among the things that Setsuna didn't like talking about, this was one of them.

As she prepared to pull the balcony door open, she heard a small voice behind her.

"The Secchan I know wouldn't kill anyone like this!"

Before Konoka could blink, she found herself being pushed up against the wall, a strong hand pinning her body painfully while the other clasped around her throat. The aura that was radiating from Setsuna chilled her to the bone. In that position, with Setsuna's steely gaze piercing through her, Konoka felt the most scared she had ever been in her life.

"I don't remember this 'Secchan'," Setsuna's strong voice rose with each syllable, "I don't remember you; I don't remember any of it. You don't know me. You have no right to tell me what kind of person I should be!"

With that, she forcefully banged Konoka into the wall again.

Only when she saw tears leaking out of the corners of Konoka's eyes did she realize what it was that she had done. Letting Konoka drop to the floor, she picked up her sword and stormed out of the apartment, locking the door behind her.

_-------------------------------_

Back at the new Konoe home, Eishun paced around in his office warily. The report from his agents had not gone well. There were no clues to Konoka's whereabouts at all and judging by the looks of things, the reporters seemed to be right. This was surely the work of _Raikou_. Only they would be able to pull off something like this and disappear without a trace.

Behind him, Asuna, Negi and Konoemon sat. They had heard the report as well and, judging by the looks on their faces, were also disappointed with the news.

The shrill sound of the telephone shocked them out of their thoughts. Eishun hastily reached over and picked up the phone. Perhaps, there was something the agents had forgotten to mention.

"Konoe-san?"

"Yes, who is it?"

A pause.

"My my, Eishun. It isn't like you to forget people so easily! I wonder if the disappearance of a certain family member has this effect on you. Maybe I should return her to you."

Eishun blinked. He knew that voice. In fact it sounded particularly like…

"Takahata? Takahata Takamichi?"

On the other side of the phone line, Takamichi laughed. Of course Eishun would remember who he was. After all, they did travel together for a while and were close friends before Konoka was born. Then again, he was rumored to be dead.

"Where is my daughter?"

At the question, Eishun reached over and pressed the intercom button so that the remaining people in the room could hear as well.

"Konoe-san, what's going on?" Negi asked, a worried expression on his face.

"Ah, what a surprise! It's a pleasure to meet you, Negi! I'm sure your father would have been pleased to hear of your accomplishments thus far."

Eishun frowned. The surprise was obviously fake. Takamichi knew that Negi was there in the room with him, which meant that they were being spied on.

"How do you know my father?"

"Didn't Eishun tell you? We used to be the closest of friends, traveling together for years! To be honest though, I was closer to Nagi and Gatou. I'm sure you remember Gateau, Asuna-kun. We used to play with you when you were still a child."

"… Takahata-san?"

Both Negi and Asuna turned to Eishun awaiting some sort of confirmation. With a tired nod, Eishun dissolved their suspicions.

"What do you want?"

Suddenly, Takamichi's tone became serious.

"I want your cooperation."

"My cooperation?" Eishun replied, noticeably confused.

"Do you remember Albireo?"

"Yes, but what does he have to do with anything? I thought he was dead."

"Fortunately, or unfortunately, our childhood friend is still very much alive," Takamichi paused for a second before continuing, "He's controlling the government behind the scenes, and not in a good way either."

Konoemon interrupted Eishun before he could speak. "Albireo would never do such a thing! He was always a good boy."

"People change, Konoe-san. More often than not, people change in ways we don't want them to. Albireo is no exception. The increase in drug deals, child slavery, kidnappings, random murder on the streets… they are the work of his puppet government. He has the support of some major corporations and judges which is why this is still continuing. But he wants more, Eishun. I think you know what I mean when I say that Konoka is a very important part of his plan."

"What does Konoka have to do with this?" Asuna whispered. Negi nodded, also curious.

"I think it is better if Eishun is the one who explains."

Tapping a finger to his forehead, Eishun sat down on his chair. He knew something like this was going to happen someday, which was why he tried to keep Konoka's secret away from everyone including Konoka herself.

"Unbelievable as it may seem, a healing ability is passed down in the females of our family. According to our family history accounts, every hundredth daughter will have healing powers stronger than the previous ninety-nine combined. It was said that where the other ninety-nine could resuscitate a failing heart once at most, the hundredth could cheat death repeatedly. Of course, after it was performed by the first hundredth daughter, she was killed along with the man she saved. Every hundredth daughter after that has been killed before one month after their birth."

From his right eye, he could see Negi and Asuna's shocked faces.

"Although it may be hard to believe, Konoka is the thousandth daughter of this family meaning that in all probability, she will have the strongest healing powers to date," Eishun turned towards the phone, "Immortality. That's what Albireo wants, isn't it?"

"Bingo. Cliché as it may sound, that is exactly what Albireo wants. Besides, Konoka is a very cute, young girl."

"But her powers haven't awakened yet!" Eishun shouted, the stress evident in his tone.

"The key word is 'yet'. Her powers _will_ awaken eventually even if she doesn't know about them. There's no telling what Albireo would do to make her use her powers."

Eishun ran his finger through his hair, "If I help you will you let Konoka live?"

"I can't guarantee anything. There will be wars and conflicts over something as trivial as living forever; there is nothing you can do to stop me from putting an end to this, and whether you like it or not, Eishun, Konoka is right in the middle of it."

"You've sent so many people to their deaths, Takamichi. Is it really necessary to kill any more?"

"It is. Sacrifices by the few have to be made for the many. Nagi and Gateau would say the same, as I'm sure you know."

_Bastard. So this is why he called when both Asuna and Negi were here_.

Negi had nothing but the utmost respect for his father, while Asuna was like a daughter to Gateau. With them there, he couldn't openly go against what Takamichi was saying even though he knew it to be true.

_Risk my daughter dying or let her fall into the dirtied hands of Albireo and let Japanese society disintegrate. Not much of a choice, is it?_

"What do you want me to do?"

"Stop looking for her. Call off your agents."

"You want me to stop looking for my own daughter!"

"Yes. With your agents out of the way, Albireo will surely increase his efforts to find her. We'll be able to spot more of his supporters and get rid of them. If we just kill Albireo, one of his supporters might carry on his will and make this harder. I'm sure you understand."

"Fine, but… will you let Konoka live?"

"The world isn't a fair place, Eishun – like I said before, I can't guarantee anything."

Takamichi hung up.

His hands reached for the photo frame that was on his desk. Tracing his fingers over the faces in the photo, he let a sad smile slip onto his face.

_The world isn't fair indeed. What kind of world forces best friends to kill each other? Nagi, Gateau, what am I supposed to do?_

_-------------------------------_

It had been two hours since Setsuna left, but Konoka still remained in her position at the wall. Her knees were drawn to her chest and her face was stained with tears. Unexpectedly, she heard the sound of someone picking the front door open.

"Setsuna, are you home?" A bubbly voice came from the doorway.

Surprised, Konoka got up too fast and banged her knee into the table. A small yelp escaped her lips and in mere seconds, she saw someone standing in front her.

"Ah! You must that person Setsuna and Mana kidnapped! Konoe-san, is it?" An outstretched hand came into her view and she gratefully accepted it, letting herself be pulled upright.

At first glance, the person who helped her seemed to be a normal, cheerful middle school student, but her hands were too rough and there was something about her posture that made Konoka wonder who she really was. Suddenly, she realized what it was. The newcomer was standing in a way that gave an impression that she was expecting a fight to occur at any moment.

Cautiously, she asked, "Who are you?"

The young girl blinked a few times before rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "How rude of me not to introduce myself; I'm Kuu Fei, one of the Elite Four in _Raikou_."

"Elite Four?"

"Yup, they're the strongest four assassins in our group. That's not saying much for me though because I'm actually the weakest of them." Still smiling, Kuu Fei made her way over to the sofa and sat down. Quietly, Konoka joined her but didn't say anything.

"Wah, Setsuna must've left for her mission already. And I was hoping to annoy her before I leave for mine." Grumbling, Kuu Fei crossed her arms and leaned back.

At the mention of Setsuna's name, Konoka looked up.

"Do you kill as well?" She asked in a hushed whisper. "Don't you feel guilty?"

After seeing the expression on Kuu Fei's face, Konoka wondered whether she was surprised by the question or by the fact that she had actually said something. Either way, it only took a second before the grin reappeared on her face.

"Contrary to what you may believe, Konoe-san, we're still human. Every time sometimes dies by our hand, the guilt, the remorse, the knowledge that we are taking away someone's loved one remains with us," Kuu Fei said, "The hardest thing about being an assassin is not to be consumed by guilt, like Setsuna is."

"You know, if there's anything I greatly admire about Setsuna, it's this: She doesn't break her promises. Ever."

Kuu Fei continued, "But she does so while disregarding her own feelings."

Konoka was confused. Why was Setsuna's fellow assassin telling her all of this? It made no sense.

"That reminds me - our organization is giving you a challenge. Whether you choose to follow through with it is entirely your choice."

Okay, now Konoka was really confused. She stared blankly at the assassin in front of her.

"What do I get if I agree?"

Smiling, Kuu Fei replied, "The chances of you being killed by the end of this will decrease."

"And if I say no?"

"Then the likelihood of us killing you will remain the same."

"What's the challenge?"

"I knew you'd be interested," Kuu Fei replied as she laughed a bit, "We have a question that we want you to answer: how do you save someone who believes they're beyond redemption?"

"Someone who believes they're beyond redemption?" Konoka echoed.

"Setsuna-san."

After a few moments of silence, Konoka voiced out the question that had been troubling her mind, "You want me to save her… from herself?"

"Something like that. Anyway, I'd better get going now. It was a pleasure to meet you, Konoe-san." Chuckling to herself, Kuu Fei stood up and walked towards the door, only pausing when her hand was on the doorknob.

"I have something else I want to ask of you," Kuu Fei whispered. Her voice was subdued, the mirth that had been there earlier, gone.

"Can you… can you help her remember the person she used to be?"

With that, Kuu Fei turned open the door and left, leaving Konoka alone with her thoughts while an uncomfortable silence settled in the apartment around her.

On the other side of town, a well-known judge racked his fingers to the newest payment he had received. It was almost funny how letting a drug dealer go could get him so much money at one time. If it continued like this, he could probably retire in a few more months instead of a few more years. All of a sudden, the lights on the street went out and he felt cold steel pressed firmly against his neck.

"Albert Chamomile, for abusing your powers as a judge and letting criminals escape, I shall grant you death."

Setsuna's blade slashed through his neck, immediately severing his head from his body. His blood ran down her sword and dripped slowly onto the sidewalk, staining the grey asphalt with drops of red.

As she watched him fall, Konoka's words echoed in her mind.

"_The Secchan I know wouldn't kill anyone like this!_"

Muttering to herself, Setsuna flicked her sword, letting the droplets of blood remove themselves from the blade. She sheathed her sword and sighed. Then, without a glance back, she walked off into the shadows of the alley.

_The 'Secchan' you know is dead._

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**A/N:** Wooh, four thousand words! I tried to set up the plot base in this chapter so I hope it wasn't too boring, especially since I'm horrible with speaking scenes. I know there are some plot holes at the moment, but I'll be trying to cover them up later in a hopefully plausible manner. Unfortunately, the next chapter will take a while to come out because I've already prolonged studying for far too long, eep! As always, reviews would be very much appreciated. Suggestions for a better summary would be niceas well :D

Also, I would like to take this opportunity to say this to fanfiction dot net: "Ur spcing system sux, srsly; lol watch me tri 2 b l33t."

Special thank yous to Annoy, muji, writer-jm, akito, xSojix, and Astarael00 for reviewing! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you!


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